The sun., 1887-11-17
the GENIUS OF THE FAMILY.
BY MARGERY BRONSON.


all these picnicking festivities and q rec
ognlZed leader in such social life as
the Summer hotel afforded, "and do
not waste either time or sentiment in
devising means of pleasing Miss Lau-
rent. She is the most advanced young
woman, in an era OF advanced young
women, have ever had the good for
tune to meet. l say the good fortune
because it is so novel-so uncommon
an experience. Miss Sydney Laurent
absolutely cares nothing for young
men. She never means to marry.
She is given up to study. She is q
genius. All the other Laurent girls"
there were five of thenl) care pretty,
shallow and firtatious. Miss Sydney
is the one who is to render the name
ilustrious. They all believe it. l be-
lieve it myself
sis the young lady really SO very
independent" asked Benjamin Farm
worth, with a meditative stroke upon
his mustache. "She does not look
like it,"
Presently, and with clever uncon-
sciousness of demeanor, he strolled
that way.
''f l could see that man once well
snubbed 1 should feel I had not lived
in vain!" was the sudden fervent eiac-
ulation of the bright little woman
who had been speaking her warnings,
at which there was laugh from the
ladies present.
Farnworth was at least right
in saying that Miss Laurent did
not have the air of the independent
and amancipated woman. She was
rather pale ard grave and she carried
a remarkably fine figure with q sort
of winning unconsciousness OF it's mer
| its. An absence of style, other young
women called it, who prided them
| selves on theirs. But men utterly ig-
nored the remark, and followed Miss
Sydney Laurent, the clever girl of the
family with their eyes.
81 am afraid you are not amusing
yourself very well, Miss Laurent"
| said Farnworth, stretching himself on
the grass by her side.
! She turned aside with q little start
which marked the distance at which
her thoughts had been from the scenes
at hand. She blushed very little,
and Farnworth noticed for the first
time the smooth texture of her fair
skin and the gentle depth OF her gray
| eyes.
"No-yes-that is. it is very stupid;
but don't you think, when one has
not had much gay ETY. for long time
led q very quiet life-that one loses
zest for amusement when it does
Gomez"
The question struck him as naive.
Despite the soft gravity Of her face Its
expression seemed to him almost pa
thetically childlike.
eyes, think you are right"
| He had never thought of the matter
before, and as for the quiet life, with
such concomitants OF intellectual la
Dor as this young lady doubtless as
sociated with it, he had no means OF
speaking, for he had never tried it.
Nevertheless, his face was earnest and
sympathetic.
The bright little woman called
across to some members of the assem-.
blage STOPPING over the baskets to
know if they should never have lunch.
See was requested by one of the five
f1irtatious Laurent girls to come over
and help lay the cloth. Some banter
passed TO and fro. The merriment
was harmless and Infectious. Farm
worth and Sydney Laurent, though
they individually strived to make
themselves agreeable, seemed some
how to have fallen beyond the verge
of it, and there to remain.
During the course OF the day one of
the FIVE sisters found chance to whis-
per in an aside to her mother:
"You should stop Sydney flirting
with that man, mother, Or letting him
f1irt with her. more properly. The
only decent fellow of the party And
.she to monopolize him So What does
she want with his attentions? She's
quite outside of that sort of thing,
| and she ought to know better how to
play her role"
That Mrs. Laurent was of the same
opinion proved itself in the evening
when the pic-nickers had reached the
hotel again.
"Why, what have done?" asked
Sydney, in a sort of dismay.
"Now. don't be affected. Syd!" cried
the eldest of the five girls. "Leave
that sort of thing to MS. You know
perfectly we'll that you've systematic
ally encouraged Ben Farnworth all
day"
1--WE only talked little" murmur-
ed Sydney, with all that show of
guilt which so often sits on the brow
and cheek Of innocence.
"Oh, yes, only talked! Better not
talk so much next time, them
cit is not fair" objected third.
"When there are six girls in family,
if one has been SO constituted by ma
ture that she can step out of the race
she ought to do so and give little
more room and chance Tor the other
five. And that's your case, Sydney.
You're clever and deep and serious
precisely the style of girl IN appear
ance, too, to have a mission and that.
Now we five are quite different. We've
all got retrousse nose and we're de-
pendent on dress-and husbands, if we
can get them. And We must get them.
You don't need any. Therefore, under
the circumstances, l think it is very
selfish Of you to step out of your de-
partment into ours and take off the
most eligible man we shall have a
chance at this Summer!"
(Which OF you wants Mr.. Farm
worth?" demanded Sydney, stung to
some show of sarcasm by their taunts.
The answer was ready at once.
"Not any one OF us particularly.
But he may choose one if you give
him the cold shoulder and wear your
old dresses"
Sydney Laurent had painfully SEN
sitive conscience. The next day she
came down stairs in a print gown. up
on which the ten eyes of the five SIS
ters looked with approval, and when
Benjamin Farnworth crossed the din
ing-room to speak to her she blushed
and received him with an embarrass.
| ment which he took for hauteur.